Rotary shell pulverizer

ABSTRACT

The pulverizer includes a rotary shell or drum which is mounted for rotation on a slightly tilted axis, and in which materials, including fertilizer chemicals and the like, are fed in a solid state to the interior of the drum for comminution. The inside curved surface of the drum is provided with a continuous array of small cups or flights for receiving deposits of larger particles of material received and which carry them to an upper portion of the drum when rotated for emptying therefrom. The drum has covers for the ends of the drum and openings in the center for receiving material at the one end and for spilling it from the other end. Particles dropped from the inclined flights on the upturning side of the drum are passed to a breaker means for pulverizing the material. Large particles that remain are collected at the bottom and are received in the inclined flights for again passing to the breaker means, and the tilt of the drum together with the length thereof provide many passes of the material through the breaker until all material spilled from the exit cover end is finely comminuted.

United States Patent Allen S. Jackson Atlanta, Ga.;

Albert E. Henderson, ,Ir., Jacksonville, Fla. [21] Appl. No. 779,367

[22] Filed Nov. 27, 1968 [72] Inventors [45] Patented June 29, 1971 [73]Assignee Fertilizer Equipment Sales Corporation Doraville, Ga.

[54] ROTARY SHELL PULVERIZER 2,732,136 1/1956 Brewster ABSTRACT: Thepulverizer includes a rotary shell or drum which is mounted for rotationon a slightly tilted axis, and in which materials, including fertilizerchemicals and the like, are fed in a solid state to the interior of thedrum for comminution. The inside curved surface of the drum is providedwith a continuous array of small cups or flights for receiving depositsof larger particles of material received and which carry them to anupper portion of the drum when rotated for emptying therefrom. The drumhas covers for the ends of the drum and openings in the center forreceiving material at the one end and for spilling it from the otherend. Particles dropped from the inclined flights on the upturning sideof the drum are passed to a breaker means for pulverizing the material.Large particles that remain are collected at the bottom and are receivedin the inclined flights for again passing to the breaker means, and thetilt of the drum together with the length thereof provide many passes ofthe material through the breaker until all material spilled from theexit cover end is finely comminuted.

PATENTEU JUN29I97i FIG. 3

FIG. 6

ALLEN s. JACKSON INVENTORS FIG. 5

FIG. 4

ALBERT E. HENDERSON, JR.

ayw/z w ATTORN Y9 ROTARY SHELL PULVERIZER The present invention relatesto an improved rotary shell pulverizer for pulverizing chemicalmaterials and other articles in solid state, and more particularly theinvention relates to a construction in which a rotary drum is slightlytilted and of sufficient length to provide many passes of largeparticles through a classifying stage in repeated passes until theparticles are comminuted, collected at an intermediate point of a bedand spilled from the exit cover of the drum.

The primary object of the invention therefore is to provide a continualclassifying action of material being pulverized so that the largeparticles are repeatedly fed to the pulverizing device at a uniformrate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a breaking device meansin rotary shell pulverizers for breaking on impact, and to collectoversized material for repassing or recirculating to the breaking devicemeans, while intermediate and finely divided material is spilled fromthe pulverizer drum.

An additional advantage of the invention is that the drum is accessiblefor cleaning while operating.

A further advantage of the invention is that since the flights feed thebreaker means at a constant rate and since the material overflows out ofthe discharge end of the drum at approximately the same rate that itenters the drum, no overload due to fluctuation can occur in thepulverizer arrangement of the invention.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent upon full consideration of the following detailed descriptionand accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary pulverizer drum according to apreferred embodiment and best mode of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the exterior of such drum shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an end view from the exit cover of the manner in whichpulverized spill is taken from the drum;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2

' Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a particle breaker 10 inwhich there is a rotary drum 12 which is adaptable for mounting upon aframe (not shown) in a slightly tilted arrangement for orientation, asshown in FIG. 2. The drum is provided with an end cover at each end, andthe feed end cover 14 is provided with a circular opening 16 so that thedrum is adapted to receive large particles fed thereto. The other endcover is the exit end cover 18, shown in FIG. 3, and it has a circularopening for spilling out comminuted material.

Within the drum and onthe circular inner side of the drum, there aredisposed a continuous array of small blades or flights 20 that cup orcarry large particles that are received therein and, due to theoverlying bed 22 of material, the large particles are carried within theblades upward in a clockwise direction, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6,so that the large particles are dropped upon a breaker means, forexample, a chain array breaker means 26, which is mounted upon a shaft28 shown in FIG. 1, and is driven by any drive means (not shown). Thebreaking device or chain breaker means 26, for example, may be any fastrevolving set of chains impacting against the material, or it may be abreaking or hammer set or a pair of rollers for crushing the materialdisposed between them, or a set of reciprocating jaws for crushing thematerial that is fed to it. Material is fed to the breaker means by theemptying of the flights which are disposed on the drum as it rotates.The flights are tilted at an angle to best deposit the material in thebreaking means, and the flights are used to lift the larger particlesthat have concentrated near the bottom of the bed 22 and are collectedin the flights 20. As the drum rotates in its clockwise direction, theflights retaining the larger material reach a top position, such as at30, and the flights then empty so that the material is poured upon thebreaker means 26, and as a result of the breaking, the particles arebroken into smaller components which are then collected upon the bed 22.Due to the upturning side of the drum 12, the

bed 22 of materials is such that the larger particles concentrate nearthe shell of the drum for being again received in the inclined depositsof the flights, while small particles collect and concentrate at anintermediate or central portion of the bed 22 so that when the bedtraverses from the upper to the lower end of the drum 12, the finelydivided and small particles of the material at the intermediate portionof the bed 22 spill out through the exit end cover 18 in accordance withthe invention. Thus, the spill from the exit end cover is constant involume where the feed of the material is constant when fed into the feedcover end 14 of the drum.

The drum 12 is of sufficient length and is adequately tilted to providemany passes of the material being comminuted so that the many passes ofthe material through the drum and being applied to the breaker meansresults in substantially complete and efficient breaking of the materialwithout overload to the rotary shell pulverizer.

The uniform feed of the breaking device or pulverizer means isaccomplished by the rotating drum and the breaker means, irrespective ofthe feed load applied to the drum.

Described above is the manner in which the small flights 20 pick upmaterial near the periphery and at the bottom of the bed and drop thelarger particles into the breaker device 26 at or near the top of thedrum 12. Thus the material applied to the rotating drum for pulverizingresults in a natural classifying action in the rolling drum for causingthe larger particles to concentrate near the shell and at the bottom ofthe bed for being received in the flights 20 and being discharged atpoint 30 as the drum rotates in its clockwise direction. The smallparticles that have been pulverized tend to collect at the intermediateportion of the bed for being spilled out of the drum in the materialflow 40, as shown in FIG. 3.

Additional embodiments of the invention in this specification will occurto others and therefore it is intended that the scope of the inventionbe limited only by the appended claims and not by the embodimentdescribed hereinabove. Accordingly, reference should be made to thefollowing claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

I claim: I

1. A pulverizer comprising a rotating cylindrical drum having its axisslightly inclined to the horizontal, a cover for each end of the drum,each cover having a central substantially circular opening of a diametersubstantially less than that of the drum, so that an annular flangesurrounding each opening is provided, the upper opening being adapted toreceive material to be pulverized and the lower opening being adapted todischarge pulverized material from the drum, a continuous array of smallflights attached to the inner surface of the drum, extendinglongitudinally thereof and inclined to receive deposits of largerparticles, carry them up the ascending side of the drum and drop them,and a breaker means mounted in the path of such dropped particles, forbreaking them into smaller particles, said breaker being located in theupper portion of the drum and being arranged to drop the brokenparticles in to the lower portion thereof.

2. A pulverizer as in claim I wherein the breaker is located closer tothe descending side of the drum than to the ascending side, so that thelarger particles are carried by the flights beyond the top positionbefore being dropped.

3. A pulverizer as in claim 2 wherein the drum is of such a length thatthe larger particles make several passes through the breaking means inpassing from one end of the drum to the other.

4. A pulverizer as in. claim 2 wherein the breaking means comprises aset of rotating chains.

5. A pulverizer as in claim 4 wherein said chains are mounted on a shaftextending longitudinally of the drum and rotatable on an axis above andon the descending side of the drum from the axis on which the drumrotates.

6. A pulverizer as in claim 5 wherein the flights are impreforate.

1. A pulverizer comprising a rotating cylindrical drum having its axisslightly inclined to the horizontal, a cover for each end of the drum,each cover having a central substantially circular opening of a diametersubstantially less than that of the drum, so that an annular flangesurrounding each opening is provided, the upper opening being adapted toreceive material to be pulverized and the lower opening being adapted todischarge pulverized material from the drum, a continuous array of smallflights attached to the inner surface of the drum, extendinglongitudinally thereof and inclined to receive deposits of largerparticles, carry them up the ascending side of the drum and drop them,and a breaker means mounted in the path of such dropped particles, forbreaking them into smaller particles, said breaker being located in theupper portion of the drum and being arranged to drop the brokenparticles in to the lower portion thereof.
 2. A pulverizer as in claim 1wherein the breaker is located closer to the descending side of the drumthan to the ascending side, so that the larger particles are carried bythe flights beyond the top position before being dropped.
 3. Apulverizer as in claim 2 wherein the drum is of such a length that thelarger particles make several passes through the breaking means inpassing from one end of the drum to the other.
 4. A pulverizer as inclaim 3 wherein the breaking means comprises a set of rotating chains.5. A pulverizer as in claim 4 wherein said chains are mounted on a shaftextending longitudinally of the drum and rotatable on an axis above andon the descending side of the drum from the axis on which the drumrotates.
 6. A pulverizer as in claim 5 wherein the flights areimpreforate.